Procedures - Old Backup
When This Procedure Was Updated This procedure was updated on April 4, 2016 and replaces an update from September 23, 2015. The announcement can be found at this forum post Be Considerate Of Others This should be common sense, but being in anarchy often means there is no dispatcher and requires people to co-ordinate with each other. Communication should be civil and polite. Obey Posted And/Or Timetable Speed Limits I want to be clear on this one. I'm not worried about adhering to every rule in the book from TOB, train type, etc. Freight trains should be limited to freight speeds up to 55 MPH (60 in Florida) unless posted. IM can run up to 70 MPH where it is either posted as freight or known to be at a particular speed. As long as you believe you are adhering to them within reason it is fair game. Unintentional violations are fine, but if you intend to speed you are simply not allowed and will not be permitted. Logging is also active in times when I'm not around. A good reference for speeds can be found on the maps available at www.run8depot.com which I personally use. Spawning And The System Trains are generated by the RTS system in cycles when trains from the previous cycle are exhausted. This also replaces most download links. Download links are generated for most of the trains run on the server, and the rest are made up in the yards. Train consists randomly change according to waybills. The only trains that can be spawned are DOWNLOADABLE links found in the various tabs of the registry responses sheet. Also please DO NOT spawn trains that you are not intending to run. If you spawn something by accident please delete it. The only trains you are permitted to spawn are those downloaded for the current cycle unless specifically authorized by the RTS administration. High Rail Maintenance Vehicles One exception to the spawning procedure is introducing the high rail truck into the world. This is the only non-RTS spawn that can be brought in. Please be sure you are spawning these in an area not in the line of a train. Be sure to communicate your intentions well in advance of approaching trains under 15 minutes out. Crew Changes Please attempt to tie down your train in an area that allows the least amount of obstruction to other traffic. In other words a siding is a good place to tie down. Non-CTC sidings should only be used if it's a typical passing point and listed in the registry. Crews are not permitted to tie down in a yard unless that train specifically works that yard. In double track territory you should only tie down on a main where others can pass you. This includes parking on a track where the opposite track is not set up for bidirectional travel (example Mojave). Ideal double track parking can be found on Needles between control points where you are not in the way of traffic flow between points rendering the control point useless. Yards And Industries All industries and yards in the RTS Network are now part of the system (with the exception of the ballast shuttle on the Victorville cement plant spur). What this means is every car is accountable and important. To switch these yards and industries follow the various registry response tabs to see what is available. Be sure to adhere to any special instructions or procedures for these yards and read the latest entries before starting your work. It is required to communicate any switching activity as a post with date and time in the Forum Heading for each yard. While most of the procedures listed in this document deals with basic train running, switching brings on it's own set of procedures. New members are encouraged to start out on mainline runs first and then chat or speak to a seasoned member. You can also use the forum here to ask questions on any topic at any time. Like the registry yard activity (switching or work) must be detailed before and after in the applicable yard forum (not including arrival and departure of trains). Not all trains can be built or moved in a yard. The only movements that can be moved in fact would be arrival releases or builds. This is all pertaining to the time of the cycle, and the automated system that handles releases and builds. An arrival status does not grant authority to hump or break down a train. Arrival Released is a manual status that is added by admins only. This allows more accurate arrival times over the course of the cycle and helps in car control and administration work in the yards. A build status does give authority for a train to be built. But please be aware that despite this authority an admin may post in the yard forum engines to use as well as what needs to be moved out of bowls etc. Other yard workers can report when tasks are complete via the yard forum following communication procedures listed here. Trains All trains indicating released, or crew change in the registry or home base tabs can be moved. Please pay attention to the WORK column of the registry tabs for any trains that require work such as pickups or setouts to be done along their route. Some BNSF trains require an inspection in Barstow. If the "Ins" column of the registry shows "Yes," the train must be yarded in an inspection track at Barstow prior to continuing on to its destination. It is also important to note your train’s final destination. You should get used to the various home bases where trains originate from and terminate in. They are inside the registry responses on clickable tabs. The first tab will tell you where trains were last reported and is updated by the registry and is for GENERAL INFORMATION only. You MUST check the status of the train inside the departing regions tab. Any train that enters the mainline must have 2 registry entries. The 1st indicating you have departed or started, and the 2nd indicating whether your train has arrived, completed, finished work, deleted, or requires a crew change. While you are here these procedures will help ensure you make it a habit of logging into the RTS wikia site. Anarchy Dispatching Because this server is in anarchy mode 24/7 you may often be required to clear your own signals. You should be familiar with how to do this before starting on the server. In some circumstances someone may be available to dispatch but will often leave the board in anarchy (viewable to others). DO NOT run through STOP signals or any manual switches set against your movement unless returning to a train (switching). In that case signals should be set for call on restricting indication where applicable. Be sure to cancel your signals back to red before exiting the server. Using the External Dispatcher available at Run8Depot or TSCAD is a good way of automatically setting your train up for canceling of signals. It is also advisable to only clear your train as far as the next potential conflict. In double track this is usually near a junction, and in single track half the distance it takes for an opposing movement to meet you (or any other potential train that can activate when a new crew arrives). Do not over clear a route even when you are the only one on the server especially where another train can be spawned or depart a yard nearby. As a general rule you can clear your train approximately 30 minutes ahead. Only clearing further if you are sure the train will be crewed to the limits. Acting Dispatchers & Authority Of Movement We do not have an official dispatcher. Official dispatchers only will appear when the board is dark (dictatorship or obligatory mode). This is expected to change once we know more of V2 and the procedure will be updated. The reason is the server is never in the need for a DS with a record of only 13 online in a single session. Most times you may be alone, or with a few others as many as 6 on a good day. Someone may wish to act as a DS which is perfectly fine. However that person does not represent official status when any client comes on. Nobody is permitted in clearing a train unless they wish to be dispatched or have asked permission. Permission is not required to move a train, however it's important that regardless of how you decide to run that you communicate intentions with any conflicting movements. Any authority other than clearing of signals is these procedures itself (communication, yard forums, work field etc.), and by an official admin. Defect Procedures & Car Tags There is currently no official procedure on what to do when a defect takes place. Basically nobody is required to do anything with a defect unless it is in special instructions of the work column. At this time this can only be edited by an admin. Car tags can only be changed by an admin or authority from an admin. For example building a train is an authority to build a train following yard procedures and forum where engines can be assigned and have the main units tag changed by the user who builds and releases the train. Deletion Of Trains Deletion of trains should occur only when your train has made it to the final destination crew change point. Trains which terminate in a yard are NOT DELETED. Likewise you can delete a train at the end of main track or if you accidentally spawn a train that you are not going to run. Trains SHOULD NOT be deleted anywhere else. This includes trains that you have run for a while. Always plan ahead in making it to a safe location as mentioned in the crew changes above. Server Issues Or Down Time Any planned outages are posted to the forum on the RTS Wikia Forum. If you can not get on the server, try again in about 5 minutes. If you still can’t get on please post a message in the general section of the forum (you may see others having issues or a notice of a scheduled outage or issue). Unscheduled issues causing a server crash may happen at any time. Emergency power outages may not have any comments for obvious reasons. User Issues If you experience an issue with your train such as a broken coupler, runaway, lost cars, or other strange behavior that could threaten server stability or cause significant delays you should immediately initiate proper Emergency Procedures. If the situation is not able to be resolved you must post an incident report in the RTS forum general section so that it can be addressed by the server administrator. Conditions Of RTS Membership New members are required to go over the New Members document. They must adhere to and understand all of the procedures in this, and any additional procedures where switching is involved. We recommend a Wikia account for forum participation and following though it is not required. This information will be provided via emails to access our servers and is not to be shared. Direct them to this site to review procedures if they are interested in joining a server. IP addresses are tracked both by the Wikia site and the servers. RTS is a network of private servers and is password protected. By agreeing to these rules you are permitted to use the password provided in these procedures. Wikia membership will not only identify you to us on servers, but allow you to keep track of changes. As RTS and Run8 constantly evolve passwords will change, and so will procedures. Your Wikia membership will enable you to find out about these changes immediately or on a daily basis. Do not be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure. Accidents or unintended violations will be acceptable. Communication On And Off Of Server On the RTS servers text is our default required method of communication. There is also an optional Teamspeak Server available that can be used. You still must be aware of others around you who may only be using text. When on the server as mentioned in the Trains section we use the registry system. We also use the Wikia forums both on and off the server for communication. I don't expect everyone who is new to read every forum post, or use the search functions etc. As long as you first adhere to the procedures that is fine. Admins are the only ones with access to your email and this is protected on a restricted access Google sheet. There is a chat function built into the Wikia where you can see who is on and share private information with one another. However other than emails there is no private message system available. That being said if you join our server via the password provided, then you are not only expected to follow the procedures here. But you are also expected to follow additional procedures for some switching jobs. Finally you are required as a Wikia member to follow the activities taking place on the Wikia. This will include updates to procedures, new documentation, forums, etc. Latest Procedure Update A date and link to any new procedures will be announced at the top of this document for the latest update only. It may have a short description of what has changed. But the link will take you to an announcement in the forum of the procedure changes. This is so any confusion with the wording is addressed. If you are regularly following all Wikia activity then you will know when the latest update has taken place in the forum. If it's a major update that requires immediate attention the password may change as well and that will be announced in the forum. If you haven't been around for a while and are unsure of what has changed, this is where the date becomes essential. If your last visit was significantly before the last update, you may want to reread the entire document to make sure you understand all changes. Otherwise updates to procedures don't happen that often and only when viewed as necessary. What Happens When Procedures Are Not Followed This is where communication is very important. Normally I will not send an email and instead post a public reminder without naming names of what I consider a major violation of procedures. If the activity continues by the same person then myself or another admin will contact you with a carbon copy (CC) to all other admins. Passwords will only be changed if the former member does not comply with the request to leave. Do You Understand All Above Finally I need you to understand all of what has been mentioned above. If you do not understand leave a comment below. Ask questions either in the comments or on our forums. We will do our best to make you feel welcome. I know there is lots of information here and we constantly try to improve things for our members and future members to come.